Evaluation of a mobile-application educational intervention on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients in postoperative care for lumbar disk herniation surgery: A randomized control trial

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the impact of a mobile-based educational program on patients’ postoperative care for lumbar disk herniation surgery. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at Fayaz-Bakhsh Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Patients with lumbar disc herniation surgery experience were randomized to the intervention and control groups (learning with the LUmbar CAring Training-app). Participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices of postoperative care for lumbar disc herniation surgery were assessed using a validated questionnaire at three-time points: pre-test (baseline), post-test one (immediately after program completion), and post-test two (8 weeks after program completion). The primary outcome measures were knowledge, attitudes, and practices scores variations. Secondary outcomes were not considered in our study. RESULTS: In total, 150 patients were enrolled, with 75 patients in each group. Patients in the intervention group demonstrated increased knowledge, modified attitudes, and practice than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The post-test knowledge, attitudes, and practices scores in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Mobile-application-based education was a practical and feasible approach to improve patients’ postoperative care for lumbar disc herniation surgery in Iran.